While there is extensive research on the effects of climatic and other forms of change on pastoralism in Africa, less is known about how recent policy responses and interventions in the name of climate change and drylands development are shaped by certain discourses and narratives and by political interests. This is important because the simplifications that frequently characterise environmental policy narratives can fail to acknowledge the politicised nature of many environmental problems in local contexts. The pastoral drylands are no exception. This presentation sets out some insights from a recently completed Doctoral research project that examines the discourses and narratives found in contemporary climate change and national development policy in Ethiopia and Kenya, the actors shaping those policy narratives, and ultimately, their consequences for pastoralist livelihoods. Research findings support the claim that climate-change arguments – combined with the drive for transformation and modernisation of pastoral areas – are being used by the state and other powerful actors as tools in contestations over land and other resources. The resultant policy prescriptions and investments are in turn leading to new patterns of social differentiation and vulnerability among pastoralists. While providing some level of climate-risk preparedness, climate adaptation and resilience-building interventions on their own are insufficient to meet the needs of pastoralist communities. The extent and nature of dynamic change in dryland areas of the HoA calls for political responses that address social inequities and power imbalances, that safeguard pastoralist resource rights, and that allow for more inclusive forms of pastoral area governance.